UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council is condemning the sale of African migrants into slavery in Libya as "heinous abuses of human rights" that may constitute crimes against humanity.
A presidential statement read at an open council meeting Thursday called for speedy investigation of the reported sales in order to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The statement follows an emergency meeting of the council on Nov. 28 called by France in response to CNN's release of video footage showing African men being sold at a slave market in Libya.
The Security Council emphasized "that all migrants should be treated with humanity and dignity."
The council urged Libyan authorities and all U.N. member states to comply with their obligations under international law including respect for the rights of all migrants.